Wire-tightener.



vA. B. COX.

wmf TIGHTENER.

APPucATloN msn FEB. 19. 1915.

1,167,050. Patented Jan. 4, 1916.

Y zo /Zb H1.11.1.v 11111111 L i 1 l PH 'o .I WMUWQWWWV111111111111*11111111111* 25 Z326 l 11 gfg i @TAT ABRAHAM i3. cox, on NEW YORK, ivfv,

WIRE-TIGHTENER.'

Application filed February 19, 1915. Serial No. 9,278.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, ABPAHAM B. COX, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city, county, and State oiy New York, have invented a. new and useful Improvement in lVire-Tighten'ers, of which the following is a full, clear, and eXact description. i My invention relates tov improvements in wire tighteners such as are used to shorten and tighten a wire. l f

My invention is particularly applicable for use in tightening fencing wires, though obviously it can be used for tightening any wire which has become slack.

The object of my invention is to produce a simple, inexpensive and eiiicient tool which has jaws movablein relation t0 each other, and constructed'so that when closed upon the wire they'will crimp it or impart to it a series of lateral bends, thus tightening the wire.

Jxnother object of my invention is to produce a device or" this character having means for crimping and shortening a wire, and adapted also'to slide along the wire which is being operated on, without releasingl it from the wire, thus enabling the tool to be worked rapidly.

Another object of my invention is to pro duce a device of this kind in which the Wire is crimped, that is given a. series of lateral bends or convolutions, and in which provision is made for making these'bends all,

of a size or height, so that after it is operated on, it will have a symmetrical appearance.

My invention is also intended to producea device of a. character which is not likely to get out of order, and which in general is efficient and easily operated.

Another object oi" my invention is to, produce a tool which'can be clamped upon a wire at any desired point without reference to posts or supports, and without the necessity oi' removing any of the supporting,

staples, and operated to crimping it.

Reference is to be had to the accompany* ing drawings forming Va part of this specification, in which similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 'is a side elevationof the wire tightener embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof. Fig. 3 1s across section on the line 3-f3 of Fig. 2, and Fig. 4 is aA broken perspective view showing the posishorten the wire by tion ofa wire between the clamping jaws, and the :shape imparted to the wire by the jaws.V

The tool has lone member 10 which is pref' erably flat as shown, and which at one end s Prniar nrere.

merges into a lshank 11, and this terminates in a. handle 12.' At they other end the meinber l0 is recessed and under-cut as shown at 10a, so that the jaw 13 canfbe secured thereon and fit against the under-cutportion so as to be firm upon the base member v10. Thisjaw is securedby screws 14,l or equivalent fastenings, and is provided with projectingbosses 15 and 16 adapted'to impart a lateral bend tothe wire to be operated 4on as presently described. Two of these bosses are shown', butfobviously more may be used if desired. These bossesl and 16 arel Voiiset with relation Vto bosses 17 and 18 on the sliding jaw 19', so that the bosses 15y and 1.6' loosely intermesh withthe bosses 17 and 18, and thusla wire 2O clamped between the jaws 13 and 19 Vwill be engagedrby the bossesA and given lateral bends or crimps as shown at 20a in Fig. 4; This it' will be seen will tend to shorten the wire, and by; sliding the 1 tool alonga wire and operating the jaws, it will be seen that asmany crimps or bends as desired can be given to it until the wire is sulficiently taut.

By reference to Fig. 2 it will be seen that the bossesv 15, 16 and 18 are rounded off at their extremities, and thatthey loosely enga'ge'so that asthey close upon the wire the irst action'will be to bend'- the wire, andat the same time permit .the wire to slip through between them.l Thisis-veryimportant because it is thisslipping action that really 'tightens the'wire as a whole, and where devices areused which .firmly grip the wire at all points of engagement, it will be seen that theV tendency is tostretch the wire at Ycertainpoints, thus weakening it, and at the same time preventing the taking up-of the slackto the best advantage.

It willbe noticed by reference to Figs. 2 and 4 that .the jaws 13 and 19 have Vparallel faces v21 and 22 which are yopposed and spaced apart, the distance'corresponding to the desired height of the bends or crimps 20a, so that as the wire is bent by the action ot the jaws, the bends already made will ber squeezed slightly, to the end that when they emerge from the tool they will be all of ag height, and the wire will have a symmetrical appearance. ri`his is desirable, as by some means of bending wires, crnnps or bends of vdifferent sizes would be made, thus giving to the wire an ugly appearance. r1`he jaw 19 is secured to the face of a sliding member 23, and lies fiush with the top of' said member, which is under-cut as shown at 24 so that the jaw may be seated firmly on the member 23, and the jaw is secured by screws 19a or equivalent fastenings.

By reference to Fig. 3 it will be noticed that the base member 10 has side flanges 25 which serve as guides for the sliding members 23, and these flanges are prolonged at one edge as shown at 26. This arrangement just disclosed insures an accurate movement of the sliding jaw 19 with relation to the fixed jaw 13.

Movement can be imparted to the sliding jaw in any approved way, but l have shown a preferred means which is efficient, powerful, and accurate. rlhe member 23 is slotted longitudinally as shown at 27 so as to slide on a screw 28 which screws into the member 10, and at its rear end the member 23 merges in a lug 29, and this is pivotally connected by means of links 30 with a lug 31 on one side of the shank or lever 34, and on the side opposite the lug 31 this shank or lever has ears 32 which straddle the shank 11 of the member 10, to which they are pivoted as shown at 33. The shank or lever Si terminates in a handle 35, but it is obvious that any suitable handle arrangement can be used for guiding the tool and operating the sliding jaw. 1t is important, however, that the jaws move in relation to each other, that the intermeshing bosses are shaped so as not to cut the wire, that the construction is made so as to permit the tool to slide along the wire, and that the tool be provided with means for securing uniformity in the height of the crimps or bends in the wire.

It will be noticed that by opening the Yhandles 12 and 35, the jaws 18 and 19 can be placed over a wire, and by closing the shank 34 against the shank 11, the jaws are forced together so as to crimp the wire. The handles are then opened and moved along the wire to engage a new part thereof, and when again closed, new crimps will be formed and the walls 21 and 22 will regulate the height of the crimps already made. It will be further noticed that this device can be clamped to a wire at any desired point, without reference to the posts or supports, and that it is not necessary to remove any supporting staples on the wire to use the tool with the desired effect. It will also be observed that the aws 13 and 19 are removable so that others of different shape and size can be substituted readily if desired. Attention is also called to the fact that the space between the face of the boss 17 and the opposite jaw 13, corresponds to the thickness of the wire to be bent, and if the tool were applied to a thicker wire, these parts would act as a gage which would prevent the wire from being seriously cut by the intermeshing bosses.

I claim z- 1. A device of the kind described comprising opposed jaws moving back and forth with relation to each other and shaped to impart a crimp or corrugation to a wire, the

vcrimping means being constructed so as to permit the slipping of the wire during the crimping operation, andthe sliding of the tool along the wire as it is operated, and means for opening and closing the jaws.

2. A device of the kind described comprising opposed jaws slidable with relation to each other and'adapted to impart a lateral crimp or corrugation to a wire, said crimping means being disposed so as to permit the sliding of the tool along the wire, and means operating in connection with the crimping device to act on the formed crimps or corrugations to regulate their height.

3. A device of the kind described comprising opposed jaws slidable with relation to each other, and having loosely intermeshing bosses to crimp a wire, said bosses being shaped to permit the wire to slip between them as they close upon it, means for operating the jaws, and means operating in conjunction with the jaws and following the crimping means whereby the height of the crimps or corrugations is determined.

4. A device of the kind described comprising opposed jaws sliding back and forth with relation to each other, said jaws hav- .ing loosely intermeshing bosses or projections and opposed walls following the bosses to engage the crimps previously made by the bosses, and means for operating the jaws.

5. A device of the kind described comprising a fixed jaw having projecting bosses and an abutting wall at one side of the bosses, a sliding jaw opposite the fixed jaw, having bosses loosely intermeshing with the bosses of the fixed jaw and a crimp engaging wall opposite the corresponding part of the fixed jaw, and means for operating the fixed jaw.

6. A device of the kind described comprising a fixed member having at its forward end a jaw with projecting bosses thereon, said fixed member merging at one end in a shank and handle, a second member sliding on the fixed member and provided at one end portion with a jaw arranged opposite the first jaw and with bosses loosely intermeshing with those of the first jaw, a shank and handle pivotally connected with the fixed member, and a link connection between the pivoted shank and the sliding member.

7. A device of the kind described comprising a fixed member having parallel flanges on the back side forming a way, said fixed member merging at one end into a shank and handle and having at the other end a pivoted to the first mentioned shank, and jaw with projecting bosses thereon, a slida link connection between the pivoted shank ing member movable between the flanges of and the sliding member.

the fixed member and having on one face a ABRAHAM B. COX. 5 jaw moving opposite the fixed jaw and With Y Witnesses:

projecting bosses loosely intermeshing with WARREN B. HUTGHINSON,

the bosses of the fixed jaw, a shank and handle ARTHUR G. DANNELL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ive cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,v

Washington, D. C. 

